2 posts tagged “andy warhol”
1979. The Internal Revenue Service forces Studio54 to close its doors. Where did all the celebrities go?
Andy Warhol, Farrah Fawcett, Grace Jones, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Burt Reynolds, as well as countless others were regular guests at a nightclub in Atlanta making ripples in the media. What unlikely place in such an unlikely city would have such a pull? The legendary Limelight nightclub was the place to see and be seen during its peak in 1981-1982. The Limelight’s decadent, wild, and over-the-top reputation earned it the nickname, “The Studio54 of the South.” The concept of The Limelight was the brainchild of notorious club owner Peter Gatien (portrayed by Dylan McDermott in the film Party Monster) after his Limelight in Miami burned to the ground in the late ‘70s. Gatien would later be involved in The Limelight New York controversy surrounding outrageous club kid Michael Alig.
Situated on Piedmont Road across from Tower Place (the only Buckhead high-rise at the time…now a skyline of postmodern condos and office towers dwarfing even Tower Place itself), The Limelight was located next door to a 24-hour Kroger grocery store, spawning the affectionate nickname, “Disco Kroger.” The name still stands to this day, though the multitudes of people who’ve moved to Atlanta over the past twenty years have no idea where the name originated.
The club itself was designed in a manor that now epitomizes ‘80s excess…larger-than-life staircase (lined with live models striking various poses throughout the night) leading down to the much publicized glass dance floor, which, underneath was an aquarium housing sand sharks that swam while you danced (it originally housed a tiger, but was replaced with sharks after noise complaints). The club’s 10K watt sound system pumped out disco, top 40, and new wave dance tracks of the moment, while thousands of spots and mobile lights provided a constant light show. Like Studio54, it was common for confetti to fall at any given moment. Caged dancers would be lowered from the ceiling to the foot of the dance floor (indeed, singer/actress Pia Zadora made her entrance this way). There were also the “exciters” (scantily clad dancers encouraging you to shake your booty). The VIP room in the back provided privacy for celebrity guests, while the curtained booths were havens for sex and cocaine use. And if all of that wasn’t enough, there was also an onsite restaurant, as well as a jumbo Jacuzzi with changing rooms, and finally, a small movie theater with pillows instead of seats.
The scene at The Limelight came in every form imaginable…disco freaks, new wavers, prominent business folk, straight, gay, and everything in between. The look du jour was shiny…(think American Apparel shiny leggings, only with bigger hair and heavier makeup, and twice as many useless accessories). The line could be as long as a four-hour wait, and at times, it extended down Piedmont Road. Denials at the door were common (sometimes just for sensationalism). Dress codes (as well as attitudes) were strictly regulated. The eccentric Gatien would often be perched at his desk in the office reading a novel.
One of the club’s most memorable nights came in June of 1981 when singer Anita Bryant (whose anti-gay stance was well documented during her stint as spokesperson for Florida Orange Juice) was photographed dancing with gay rights activist Russ McGraw. The photo made the pages of Time, Newsweek, Playboy, as well as the cover of The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, and more than 200 other American newspapers. Bryant was furious. Gatien relished the publicity.
By 1983, Gatien moved to New York to open another Limelight, and left the reigns to his brother, Maurice (who according to Guy D’Alema, Gatien’s publicist and photographer) did not want to spend money on The Limelight and lacked creativity. From the then on, The Limelight went into decline, eventually closing in early 1986.
As a child during the Limelight era, my mother (divorced and dating a series of guys until she married my stepfather in 1987) used to go out with her friends from work (Coca-Cola), and I’d hear these stories about a nightclub with sharks swimming around under a glass dance floor in Buckhead. The idea fascinated me (more so because I was obsessed with sharks as a kid). My seven-year-old brain just couldn’t imagine it. Interestingly enough, she did date a man named Guy during the early ‘80s for a brief stint…hmmm.
In the years since (my generation and later), Buckhead has become a business, shopping, and restaurant district …a southern version of Beverly Hills, if you will…not a nightlife destination by any stretch of the imagination. The bar and club scene migrated to Midtown by the mid to late ‘90s. Ironically, I live directly across the street from where The Limelight was located, and I go to Disco Kroger almost daily. Now, World Market (a retailer) is in The Limelight's upper level space, while the staircase going to the lower level leads to an art supply store. Instead of jam-packed night time traffic on Piedmont, we now have jam-packed all-day traffic. At night, it’s a ghost town.
The closest thing we’ve had to The Limelight since its demise was Midtown’s superclub, eleven50 during its first years of business (2000-2003). The marketing agency I would go on to work for a year later was behind eleven50’s opening, and two of the company officer's were also its resident DJs, Richard Leslie and Brandon Sutton (guerilla-styled email marketing helped make the first few months at eleven50 memorable). One of my most fun memories there was Saturday, April 28, 2001 for the traveling Miss Moneypenny's party. I can still remember the giant black and white clock inspired dress The Transformer (a notable drag queen) was twirling at the entrance of the club. The weather was gorgeous. The club was packed. Everyone oozed fashion. My coworkers sequestered the VIP room, which held supermodel, Niki Taylor (who was WASTED, by the way). I made friends with the “Dude, you got a Dell” computer guy. Sadly, the next day Niki Taylor’s car accident was all over the news. In the years that followed, Jared Leto physically moved me out of the way while I primped in front of a mirror by the front door (he was trying to leave and was apparently waiting for me to get out of the way), I watched Justin Timberlake waddle down the stairs to coatcheck with two girls that were SIGNIFICANTLY younger than he, and I got trapped on stage with BT after my friend Brandon stopped spinning (he didn’t tell me he was leaving). BT’s hair was off the chart, and the stupid bubbly girls kept trying to offer me champagne. Finally, I slipped down the side stage steps to escape notice. Let’s not forget drag queens EJ Aviance and Rubayne’s fitting rooms…um, yeah. Promoters Byron Burroughs and Bill Kaelin (Kaelin is now at Bazzaar) brought world-renowned house DJs every Friday and Saturday night. It was incredible…until the khaki pants invasion. Now it’s…uh…Opera, I think?
Nevertheless, none of my experiences at eleven50 (or any other club for that matter) could surpass anything that happened at The Limelight, and I’m jealous of that generation!
If you'd like to read some of the stories from patrons, CLICK HERE.
Some of the outrageous celebrity photos can be found in the coffee table book, Disco Years by photographer Ron Galella. Most of it showcases the disco era in New York, but there are celebrity pics from the Limelight scattered throughout the book.
Okay, so, as usual I take every movie review with a grain of salt until I actually see it. And yet again, I disagreed with most of the reviews that have been written about Factory Girl. The film was exactly what I expected after all the information I’ve read, as well as documentaries I’ve seen on both Edie Sedgwick and The Factory throughout the years.
I think the reason a general audience would be disappointed by the film is because they are expecting to see a movie about a bubbly it-girl from the sixties who inspired (if not served as a muse) for one of the twentieth century’s most innovative and controversial artists. On the surface and in the media, it appears this way, but it’s not quite the case.
The film exposes the debauched and decadent Factory, and it’s so-called artistic virtuosos. Edie is both fascinated and attracted to a side of life she’d never experienced before. She sees Warhol and his Factory as place filled with creative genius, fostering a new movement in thinking and lifestyle, and she wants to be a part of it. Warhol’s instant infatuation with her beauty, personality, and stylishness only boost Edie’s confidence in her sense of belonging to something larger than herself.
After the glitz and gloss of a scene on the edge of fashion, music, and art are stripped away, the true empty nature of The Factory is revealed…a haven of superficial drug addicts collectively living and following a conceptual lifestyle which they, themselves, may not necessarily believe in. Before Edie is even aware of it, she begins drowning in this lifestyle. By the end, she has become so immersed in the subculture and it’s vices (mainly extensive drug use) that she loses all sense of self, as well as the person she used to be when she originally arrived in New York. She realizes that Andy and The Factory objectified her as a piece of art rather than regarding her as a real person or friend. The film continues it’s tragic downturn until her untimely death at the young age of 28 in 1971.
As with most films that move me emotionally, it strikes a personal chord. I’ve been the vulnerable Edie, as well as the opportunistic Andy. However, I mostly identify with Edie because I’ve had very similar experiences on a smaller scale. I know what’s it’s like to be known by no one, then suddenly known by everyone in a scene you thought was so artistically, culturally, and socially valid. You become engulfed by self-importance and self-validation because of these “friends.” And like Edie, I began to lose myself in it, not really knowing what I was doing or where my life was headed… Fortunately, I did not become addicted to drugs, but I did become obsessed with trying to hold on to the adoration of virtual strangers. When I was fresh out of college at 24, I had absolutely no debt whatsoever. I didn’t even owe my school a dime in student loans. By the time I was 28, I racked up a debt so massive, it’ll take me years to repair my credit. Plus, I’d begun to realize that a lot of those “friends” were not in love with Chuck, but an idea of Chuck or image of Chuck that just wasn’t me at all. When I met people who didn’t know me, but knew of me, I put on a show to uphold that image… However, I always worried that once they met me, they lost interest quickly… And the same happened with potential boyfriends. My 28th and 29th years were my lowest points in which a chain reaction of tragic events in my personal life happened one right after the other… I seriously couldn’t understand how I fucked up my life so much (and so fast). Reality hit me like a Mack truck. However, by the time thirty rolled around, I began to pull myself out slowly. To this day, it’ll take me years to get back to the person I was when I graduated college, but it was a learning experience I had to go through, I guess. Watching this movie almost brought me to tears when I realized what the potential outcome could’ve been.
As far as acting is concerned, Hayden Christensen proves once again that he can’t act his way out of a paper bag (as evidenced previously in the Star Wars prequel trilogy). However, what he doesn’t deliver in acting, he definitely makes up for in looks! I mean, he’s the hottest Bob Dylan I’ve ever seen! On the other hand, Guy Pearce’s performance is Oscar-worthy! I mean, it’s uncanny (if not a bit creepy) how well he captures Andy’s personality, demeanor, and overall look. Though I don’t have much of a basis for comparison for Sienna Miller’s performance, I will say she did a great job. She definitely captured the New England upper-class society accent perfectly.
All in all, despite all the reviews, controversy, and lawsuits, I highly recommend the film. Just keep in mind that it is a depiction of her personality, as well events based on available biographical information. Warning: It’s a bit depressing, so if you don’t like dark movies, you won’t like it.
For Atlanta audiences, Factory Girl is now playing at Landmark Theater in Midtown next to Apres Diem.
